Instead of sitting around and bitching and moaning like everyone else, a group of pissed off indie filmmakers and production companies, including Christine Vachon and Robert Altman, have banded together to sue the MPAA. That’s right, Jack. This shit isn’t over yet. Everyone wants to watch screeners at home in their underwear.
A lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan on November 24th in an attempt to lift the screener ban. “If the ban is not lifted immediately, critical exposure, momentum and buzz opportunities will be irreparably missed,” states the lawsuit. It goes on to accuse the MPAA of monopolizing the film industry by squeezing out the smaller film companies by treating them the same as the major movie studios, holding them to the strict rules of the ban or be excluded from over 80 percent of the distribution market. The lawsuit calls the MPAA’s actions “outrageous and were taken with evil motive.”
The lawsuit asks for a lift on the screener ban, as well as $25 million in compensatory damages and unspecified punitive damages. Things are finally starting to get interesting with this whole screener ban debacle.

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New England Underground Film Festival Seeks EntriesThe New England Underground Film Festival is now seeking entries for its 5th annual event, to be held October 3 at the University of Hartford’s Gray Conference Center, located in West Hartford, Connecticut. Programmed by Film Threat’s Phil Hall, this festival celebrates the best in contemporary underground cinema. The final deadline for entries is July 15; entry information is online at http://newenglanduff.webs.com.